Stranger of Utopia
by MadnessJones
Summary: Rescue Bots AU: Blades rescues a snarky Cybertronian femme from out in the ocean and decides to show her around Griffin Rock. He and his team are unaware however that they are dealing with a Decepticon. Will Blades get his spark broken, or will he be able to convince her to make a change? (On hiatus)
1. May Day

_Author's Notes: Hello everyone, and thank you for checking out yet another one of my stories! This is one I'm kind of nervous about writing since it's my first Rescue Bots fic. This is a fic I've had planned for a while and have finally decided to make time for it. The story starts out in an AU version of season 1 since that was when the Rescue Bots were first getting into the groove of their jobs, and I feel it opens a lot of possibilities for character growth and interesting scenarios. Anyway, I thank you all for coming and hope you enjoy "Stranger of Utopia" :)_

* * *

Chapter 1

May Day

It was a sunny day in Griffin Rock and for once there was no emergency involving technology gone awry or earthquakes or volcanoes or whatever else this little island could throw at the Rescue Team. The Rescue Bots and their human partners were sitting around in the break room having a normal discussion about human culture. Well, as normal as it got considering the humans were trying to explain it to giant alien robots.

"Wait, I don't get it," Heatwave said quizzically, "So which is it? The president, the prime minister, the king, the pope, or the dictator?"

"None of them, Heatwave," Graham replied patiently, "Nobody rules the entire world. That would be an autocracy."

"What is wrong with that?" Chase shrugged, "Our Prime rules all of Cybertron, and our society has lasted for millions of earth's years."

"Well to be fair, the planet is gone now," Heatwave added with grim acceptance, "But our species at least managed to survive under the Prime's leadership."

"So you didn't have like, countries or anything?" Kade asked curiously.

"We had city-states with their own senators and council members," Blades explained, "But everybody answered to the Prime. The Matrix of Leadership was given to the Prime, which contained all knowledge of the previous Primes. That made him wise and ready to assume command. I'm sure Optimus Prime still has it."

"Wait, so your leader is super smart?" Cody asked excitedly, "That is awesome! I wish we had an invention that could make people really really smart."

"Yeah, then we could use it on Kade," Dani laughed, and Kade scowled.

"Hey, Heatwave and I still work better together than you and Blades!" Kade huffed.

"Only because Blades has trouble flying. It's not his fault he's a chicken," Dani defended her partner.

"Yeah, it's not my fault I'm a- wait, what's a chicken?" Blades asked in confusion.

Before anyone could answer the alert blared on the team's computer indicating an emergency. Everyone dropped what they were doing to see what was going on. The alert came from the Griffin Rock local news channel as a reporter stood on the coast of the ocean where a trail of smoke could be seen heading toward the water.

"-crash into the ocean soon," The reporter's statement was only caught halfway through, "No one knows what kind of plane it is. There have been no reports of commuter airlines in the area, and the military has made no comment about domestic or foreign jets. We are unsure if it is a drone or a manned aircraft."

"A plane crash? That's our cue, Blades!" Dani shouted as she ran for the hangar.

"Why does it always have to be _our_ cue?" Blades asked miserably as he slowly followed his eager partner, "If we go to rescue the plane then who's going to rescue us?"

"Just come on, you big chicken," Dani urged.

" _What's a chicken_!?" Blades shouted helplessly before transforming into helicopter mode.

When they took off Blades wobbled in the air as Dani tried to keep control of where she was steering. Blades always hated the fact that he had made the least progress among the Rescue Bots when incorporating his alt mode. He tried harder than anyone else when it came to integrating with his partner and the rest of the team, yet he always felt like he was treading water. He then realized he was about to literally tread water when his undercarriage hit the ocean.

"Yow!" Blades yelped in surprise as he lifted himself back up.

"Watch it, Blades!" Dani snapped, "This is no time for a swim."

"Well maybe I could concentrate better if you weren't whispering in my ear!" Blades snapped back defensively.

"I'm not whispering at you," Dani replied; confused.

"Huh?" Blades listened in closer, and realized it was static from his comm system.

Blades tuned his comm system to try to pick up the signal. It didn't sound like any of his friends since they always used the Rescue Bots private channel. This comm was coming from a standard frequency. Blades finally found the correct channel, but it was still full of static. The voice sounded like a femme.

/-wa-...trail of...con...ocean and...distress…tron...wave...hurry up!...zul out./

"Blades? You're being awfully quiet," Dani's voice roused Blades out of his concentration.

"Dani, I'm picking up a Cybertronian in distress," Blades announced, "It's close, too. I think the plane we're going after might be a Cybertronian."

"Really? Well then we better get there fast, before someone notices them," Dani declared, "Step on it, chopper boy!"

Blades did his best to comply with the order, though he still wasn't feeling too sure on his rotor. Even the slightest gust of wind could make Blades panic, but now he had a clearer objective and was going to try to keep his cool. He knew his species was endangered, and he had yet to see a femme since waking up on earth, so he knew this was important. For all he knew she could have kids or a bondmate waiting for her somewhere, which were exactly the thoughts he would often have when rescuing humans. It was a mixed blessing to think that way about a Cybertronian again.

Blades and Dani found where the jet was sinking into the water, and everything was already submerged except for the tail. It looked like a F-22 Raptor jet, but the color was pink and white. There was _no way_ that was a normal jet.

Dani flew closer so that Blades could hook onto the plane with his landing gear. He grabbed the tail end of the plane and pulled for all he was worth, but then noticed that the comm chatter was getting decidedly louder (and more annoyed).

/Let go you...Bot…know who…am? Your worst...go...now!/

"I can hear her on the comm, Dani. She sounds angry," Blades reported nervously.

" _She_? Can robots have genders?" Dani asked curiously.

"Oh yes, Cybertronians have both mechs and femmes," Blades replied, "Uh oh. I can feel something pulling me!"

The plane then let loose a burst of speed and broke away from Blades! He tried to hold on, but that only resulted in the loss of his left landing gear. Not knowing what else to do, he followed the jet. He knew this was a Cybertronian femme, and he knew she must be scared being in a strange environment and almost being sunk underwater forever. He had to make sure she was okay.

Blades did his best to stay on the jet's trail for a few minutes, but it was no easy feat for him. He wasn't a great flier, and jets were naturally faster than helicopters. Her frame kind of reminded Blades of the energon seekers back on Cybertron. He wondered if that was what she was.

/Hey, stalker!/ Blades could hear her voice much clearer this time, /Why are you following me? Which faction are you from?/

/Um, excuse me?/ Blades asked, not completely sure what she was talking about, /I'm a Rescue Bot. I saved you from sinking. Um, could you slow down, please? We're in the middle of the ocean and I don't want to use up all my fuel reserves./

/You're a what?/ The femme asked in a skeptical tone of voice, /Hold on a klik. This I gotta see./

Much to Blades' relief the pink jet finally stopped. She then transformed into a slender pink and white femme with a finned helm and thin wings. She suspended herself in the air by thrusters in her stiletto style heel struts. She was very pretty as femmes went, but the look on her face plate just screamed irritation.

"You can fly while in robot mode? That is so cool!" Blades exclaimed excitedly.

"It's a modification," The femme waved her servo dismissively, "Nice human. I've seen a lot of those around here. They _do_ _not_ like me. I guess it's because I fly so close to their stupid planes. Not my fault it took so long to find a decent alt mode. Maybe if they stopped making their planes look like stretched out shuttle-formers..."

"My friends brought me the helicopter to scan," Blades replied amiably, "I wish it had been a car though. I don't like to fly. I'm scared of heights."

"Seriously?" The femme asked as she arched a brow ridge, "I'm guessing you're not from Vos then."

"No. Iacon," Blades replied, "My name is Blades, and I'm a Rescue Bot. What's your name, miss?"

The femme looked at the sigil on Blades' alt mode, and noted the symbol was very different than what she was used to seeing. It was gold embossed, and had the old Cybertronian glyphs for Rescue Bots. Their kind had been wiped out during the war for Cybertron before the great exodus. It had all happened before her time, so she was surprised to see there was a team still alive. Apparently they hadn't been out of stasis very long either, judging from this guy's naivety.

"Blades, huh? My name's Frazzle," Frazzle introduced herself casually, "I just flew down to earth a few days ago. Haven't had a chance to hook up with my unit. How many Rescue Bots are there on your team?"

"Just four of us," Blades replied, "Our chief is named Heatwave, and then there's Chase and Boulder. I think you'll like them. We all live on Griffin Rock. It's a really neat island, and we have a lot of work to do rescuing people. I think you'll like the fire station too. It's really state of the art."

"On earth?" Frazzle asked critically, "Doubtful."

"Hey, earth isn't some backward hick town!" Dani replied defensively, "Griffin Rock is a center of scientific advancement. I bet you'll see things that would even be impressive on Cybertron."

"Really? You don't say?" Frazzle asked as her yellow optics lit up with interest, "Well then, I would like to see Griffin Rock. Maybe I'm wrong about you humans. I guess I shouldn't judge a data file by its thumbnail."

"Great, you can refuel with us at the station," Blades chirped happily, "I just know you're going to love earth, Frazzle. It's a wonderful new home."

Frazzle then chuckled and winked at Blades before transforming and flying ahead of him and Dani toward the island.

"Well, she seemed...interesting," Dani said awkwardly, not wanting to say what she really thought of that femme.

"I know, right? Her armor looked so cool!" Blades gushed; unaware of Dani's discomfort, "I've never seen anyone that looked like her before. I mean, I can tell she's a seeker, but she looks so glossy and her digits were so long and sharp. She must've been to all sorts of exciting places."

"Her arms had guns on them," Dani noted as she shrunk further into her seat, "And she picked a military jet for her vehicle mode."

"Well you heard Optimus Prime. There was a war," Blades replied; unconcerned, "She was probably a soldier or a scout or something. I'm surprised a soldier would keep their original paint color. She looks so cool with that pink and white paint job. Oh, and those cool steel engravings on her wings. I wonder what that symbol was. It looked like wings, so it's probably a seeker thing."

"Are engravings kind of like tattoos?" Dani asked curiously.

"Maybe," Blades replied, "I don't know. I'll research tattoos when we get home."

* * *

When the trio returned to the station everyone was surprised that not only was Blades back in the hangar but that there was a smaller than average F-22 Raptor parked just outside the door; unable to get inside.

"What the?" Kade was the first to speak up, "Dani, you guys were supposed to rescue the jet, not bring it home! Ew, and it's a girly colored jet to boot!"

"I could squish you so easily..." Frazzle growled at the insult, "Move aside, wing nuts. I need to transform."

Frazzle then transformed back into robot mode and quickly shuffled into the hangar; aware that she wasn't supposed to be seen by the native populace yet. All eyes and optics were on Frazzle as she stood to her full height. She was shorter than the Rescue Bots, but still taller than the humans.

"Um...Guys, this is Frazzle," Blades said to break the tension, "Frazzle, this is my rescue team."

"Cool! Another Cybertronian!" Cody exclaimed, "And you're a jet! How fast can you go, huh? Can you make a sonic boom? Can I go for a ride sometime? Please?"

"Never," Frazzle shot back quickly, "Blades, how many of these things are there in this building? I'm surprised you haven't accidentally stepped on one yet."

"There are 5 members of the Burns family," Blades replied goodnaturedly, "You've already met Dani, and that little guy is Cody. He's our mission control. Over there is Kade. He's in charge of fire rescue with Heatwave. Then there's Chief Burns. He works with Chase on the police force. And finally there's Graham, who works with Boulder. They're both really smart, though Graham might be a little smarter."

Boulder crossed his arms in mock annoyance, but he was smiling despite trying to look upset. He had to admit it, Graham was a genius, and Boulder was proud of him for that.

"Alright then," Frazzle replied; not sure how else to respond, "So...what is your purpose among the Autobots?"

"Optimus Prime told us to watch over Griffin Rock and its people," Heatwave answered her, "He said Cybertron was destroyed in a cataclysmic event and now earth is our home. Things have been going pretty well here so far, though I have to admit it feels weird to know we're never going home again."

"Um...That's _it_?" Frazzle asked incredulously, "Optimus Prime gets his servos on a team of ancient Rescue Bots, and he uses you to run errands for the humans on this island? I...I can't even make a snide remark about that. That is just really sad and really stupid."

"Why? The Rescue Bots do great work here," Cody reasoned, "I don't know what we'd do without them."

"Exactly," Frazzle replied flatly, "Listen Blades, I'm pretty low on energon from my trip here. Would it be alright if I recharged here at the station?"

"Is it alright, guys?" Blades asked Heatwave and Chief Burns.

"I don't see why not," Chief Burns replied, "Maybe you'll feel fresher in the morning, Frazzle."

"She doesn't get my berth," Heatwave grumbled.

"Don't flatter yourself, ground pounder," Frazzle snorted, "Anyway, thanks for getting me out of that jam, Blades. You're alright for someone that flies like a semi truck."

"Hey Frazzle," Blades called out as she was walking away, "I forgot to ask, why did you crash into the ocean?"

"Oh, it was a stupid reason," Frazzle laughed and shrugged airily, "I wasn't watching where I was going and then I got shot. Knocked out my navigation systems and barely missed a major fuel line. Self repairs will take care of it."

Frazzle walked away and Blades smiled and waved back at her.

"Alright, goodnight Frazzle, even though it's still daytime," Blades laughed and awkwardly spoke, "See you in the- _shot_!?" He suddenly realized what she had said, "Heatwave, did she say she got shot?"

"Yeah, I think she did," Heatwave replied, "Of all the times to not have a medic on the team."

"I know how to perform basic repairs," Boulder offered.

"Wait a minute guys," Graham interjected, "If that lady robot got shot, then who shot her? And why? Something about this doesn't add up. She seemed way too calm for someone that just suffered an injury."

"I think I was right," Blades said out of the blue.

"Right about what?" Chief Burns asked.

"That Frazzle is a soldier," Blades replied, "That what I told Dani when we were flying home. Frazzle has weapons on her arms and doesn't seem concerned about getting shot. She also feels like we're wasting resources by being here. That tells me she's probably a soldier. She'll probably want to go back to wherever Optimus Prime stationed her in the morning. It's too bad. I wanted to get to know her better..."

...

Meanwhile, in a corner of the break room preparing to recharge on the ground was Frazzle. She couldn't believe her luck. She had found an island with technology that could help the Decepticons, and she had run into the only Autobots in the universe that wouldn't recognize a Decepticon if they shot them in the back, which was exactly her plan. Frazzle went into recharge thinking up ways to conquer Griffin Rock and rip those idiot Rescue Bots to shreds.


	2. Devil's Due

_Author's Notes: Hello everyone! This is my second fic updated today, so yay! This chapter I feel came out better than the last one, though it still isn't perfect. That being said, I feel like I have a better idea of the tone and plot I want to convey for this story. Hopefully everyone is enjoying reading "Stranger of Utopia" thus far, and thank you for reading this chapter as well :)_

 _Warning: Minor character death._

* * *

Chapter 2

Devil's Due

Early the next morning the Rescue Team went into the break room to see that Frazzle was already awake and crushing some blue energon crystals into a cube. Blades was used to refining his energon with the help of machines, so he was sure it was unhealthy to try to drink energon that was just tiny crushed up rocks.

"Frazzle, that might damage your fuel tanks," Blades warned her just as she was about to take a drink.

"Good morning to you too, super struts," Frazzle snarked before downing half the cube in one gulp.

Blades giggled awkwardly at the odd nickname as his Cybertronian friends gave him a knowing look. The humans, however, had no idea what was going on.

"What does super struts mean?" Kade was the first to ask.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Heatwave replied dryly.

Kade huffed indignantly and Cody laughed, since usually he was the one that was accused of being too young to know what was going on.

"So, which one of you heavy hitters is gonna show me around this crater?" Frazzle asked as she sat down at the robot's table.

"Oh, um, I can do it!" Blades volunteered eagerly, "I mean, if it's okay with you guys."

"Fine by me," Heatwave replied indifferently.

"Sure, I could use some air," Dani added.

"Oh, um..." Blades stammered, forgetting he would have to take his partner with him so it didn't look strange, "Okay. This will be fun."

The Rescue Bots and their human partners then sat down to catch up on what they were going to do that morning and to refuel. Frazzle didn't contribute to the conversation, but rather sat back and listened in the hopes of learning something important about her enemies. She couldn't believe how well this was going. These morons were so unfamiliar with Decepticons that they couldn't spot one even when it was so obvious. Her sigils decorated her wings and they still didn't know!

To top it all off, she was acutely aware of Blades' attraction toward her. It would be something she could use to her advantage later, she was sure. She just had to play up the part of flirty femme.

* * *

Blades and Frazzle flew over Griffin Rock with Dani in Blades' pilot seat as usual. He normally liked having his partner there, but today it felt weird. It was like having his sister with him on a first date. He knew he and Frazzle weren't dating or anything, but they never would if he could never be alone with her long enough to ask, and he was too shy to do it in front of Dani.

Another problem he had was keeping up with Frazzle. Blades was flying lower than her and she kept speeding up and then slowing down so he could catch up. Blades hated flying, and he wasn't ready to fly with someone that had been doing it her entire life. This whole situation made him feel inadequate.

/Hey super struts, you need to ascend!/ Frazzle shouted over the comm.

/I can't!/ Blades whined, and then felt embarrassed for sounding whiny, /I mean, I don't think the wind is favorable./

/There is no wind, dummy,/ Frazzle teased, /Do you need me to come down?/

/That would be wonderful, thank you,/ Blades replied quickly in relief.

He could hear Frazzle audibly sigh over the comm before she dove down abruptly and corrected herself to fly beside him. Most jets would've just descended, but Frazzle had to show off first. Blades was both in awe of her talent and also a little miffed because she was clearly making fun of him.

/Seriously, Iacon boy. Why did you pick a flight mode if you're so bad at it?/ Frazzle asked curiously as they flew over downtown.

/Everyone else picked their vehicle modes before I had a chance, and I got stuck with the only one left,/ Blades explained, /Four Rescue Bots, four vehicles./

/Why didn't you just copy somebody else's mode?/ Frazzle asked, /I mean, scanning a vehicle once doesn't mean it can never be scanned again. So what's the deal?/

/Griffin Rock needed an emergency responder,/ Blades explained, /If I didn't do it nobody would. I guess I just wasn't assertive enough to get a ground-mode before someone else. Truth is if I had gotten there first I probably would've picked the police car./

/You're not assertive yet you wanted a job where you have to assert your authority?/ Frazzle asked half-jokingly, /Blades, _flying_ isn't scary. _Falling_ is scary. Just don't fall./

/You sound just like Dani,/ Blades pouted, /I try to not be scared, but I can't help it. When I'm not on the ground it feels like I have no balance. What do I do?/

/Well, this kind of reminds me of an Autobot I used to see on the battlefield sometimes,/ Frazzle recalled, /His name was Silverbolt. He was the leader of a team of new Autobot fliers, but he was terrified of heights./

/Hey, that sounds like me!/ Blades exclaimed; happy to relate to the character in the story.

/Yeah, and his team encouraged him and tried to help him, but it was just so hard for him to stop thinking about how high up he was,/ Frazzle continued, /It looked like he was never going to get any better./

/And then he did?/ Blades asked hopefully.

/No, then he got shot out of the sky and died,/ Frazzle replied bluntly.

/Oh,/ Blades gulped.

/So the moral of the story is, if you're afraid of dying, you will die,/ Frazzle concluded, /and if you're not afraid of dying, you will still die. So, why be afraid?/

/It's not that easy,/ Blades argued.

/Fear is a self-fulfilling prophecy,/ Frazzle interrupted, /I've seen a lot of good mechs die because they were afraid to take a chance. I mean, you have it so easy. We're still in the middle of a war, and your job is to pluck humans out of trees and sip on energon you didn't have to do anything to get. Just fly a little higher. You'll never have an easier time of it than right now./

/Rescue work isn't that easy!/ Blades countered, /We may be civilians, but we put our lives on the line every day protecting the people in our community. Just because they happen to be humans doesn't make it any easier./

"Hey, you guys are being awfully quiet," Dani interjected; unable to hear their comm conversation, "Is everything okay?"

"Um, yeah. Everything's fine," Blades replied quickly, "You, um, you wanna go higher? I want to show Frazzle the top of the volcano on the neighboring island."

"Sure, if you're sure you'll be okay," Dani replied hesitantly, "I know how you get around that volcano. You sure you won't freak out?"

"Oh sure. I'll be fine," Blades replied less than confidently, "What could happen?"

/That's the spirit, super struts,/ Frazzle congratulated him, /Maybe when we come in for a landing I'll show you how to do a firecracker./

/A what?/ Blades asked.

/A firecracker. It's where you spin in the air while activating every light and laser weapon in your arsenal,/ Frazzle explained, /It costs some energy so I won't show you the light part just yet. When a firecracker lights up the night sky though, it's one of the coolest visuals in the galaxy! My sister Dazzle used to be really good at them./

/You have a sister?/ Blades asked curiously.

/Had,/ Frazzle corrected him, /I had two, actually. We were a trine. I was the leader. My sisters names were Dazzle and Razzle. Razzle was kind of serious and thought she was _so_ smart. Kind of like your Heatwave. Dazzle was fun though, and we were very close. They both died during the same battle./

/Wow, I'm so sorry that happened to you,/ Blades replied sympathetically, /It must be awful to lose a family member like that, let alone two./

/I'm not special,/ Frazzle dismissed his concern, /Every Cybertronian has lost someone. That's what war does. It kills people. That is literally the point. I used to think it did more, but it really doesn't. I got into this thing wanting to change the world, and we did. We changed the world. Now it's gone. A dead empty rock. We did it. _Hooray_ for us./

Blades was taken aback by the bitterness and cynicism in her tone. He hadn't heard Frazzle speak like that since they met, though he knew he had only met her yesterday. Still, it was sobering to hear about the war and Cybertron's demise like that. Optimus Prime had been delicate with the Rescue Bots when they first onlined. He told them earth was their home now instead of Cybertron. Blades was aware that for whatever reason the Cybertronian species had migrated away from Cybertron. To hear about a dystopian war that killed their planet from a survivor however was a lot to swallow for someone who had never seen the fighting firsthand.

"Hey guys, there's the volcano!" Dani pointed just ahead of them and smiled; unaware of the conversation taking place all around her over the comm systems.

"Oh, right. Thanks, Dani," Blades replied absentmindedly, "See that, Frazzle? That's the largest volcano in the area. The jungle down there is gorgeous too. You should see all the animals. There are so many thousands of different kinds of animals on earth. I never thought there could be so many!"

Blades continued to babble on about the volcano while Frazzle looked down at the dormant lava inside. As she stared at the lava however another red swirling liquid filled her processor...

* * *

"...Red energon! We finally did it!" Overlord exclaimed as he turned to his audience of loyal seeker troops, "With this beautiful rare substance we will cause chaos for both the Autobots and Megatron's army of mindless drones! We will take back what rightfully belongs to us, and I will rule Cybertron!"

Loud cheers erupted from Overlord's band of rebels. Overlord held up the vial of red energon and soaked up the praise being heaped on him by his followers. This was sure to be a day of reckoning for Cybertron itself.

Overlord was one of Megatron's highest ranking generals, but what the warlord didn't know was that Overlord had his own agenda. Overlord felt that Megatron was taking too long to kill off the Autobots, and he intended to stage a coup against Megatron and take power for himself. He already had a few dozen followers, and among them were Frazzle, Razzle, and Dazzle.

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Dazzle exclaimed from the back row where they were standing.

"I know!" Frazzle replied enthusiastically, "We're gonna finally win this war, get our home back, and have a leader that's actually competent."

"I don't know if this is actually a good idea," Razzle pondered, "Overlord might be as powerful as Megatron, but I'm not sure he's as intelligent."

"Eh, they're both crazy," Dazzle waved away Razzle's concern, "But Overlord is the fun kind of crazy. Megatron is the disturbing kind of crazy. He actually thinks Unicron is real."

"Yeah, well Overlord thinks he _is_ Unicron!" Frazzle laughed, "Don't worry, okay? All we have to do is keep the Autobots busy. Megatron and his inner circle will think we're on his side until the last moment when it will be too late to do anything about it."

"In other words, we're the cannon fodder," Razzle sighed in a deadpan tone, "Again."

Frazzle knew what Razzle said had a ring of truth to it. They might not survive this raid on Autobot HQ in Iacon, but they had to play their part. They were Team A, the group that stirred up the Autobots so that they would come to Kaon and weaken Megatron's forces. Team B would lead key members of Megatron's army away so that Overlord, who would be moving at hyperspeed thanks to the red energon, could sneak up on Megatron and kill him before the warlord even knew what was happening.

"Don't worry, Sis. Everything's gonna work out great," Frazzle assured Razzle.

...

Out in the battlefield, the seekers flew in a tight formation as yellow beams of laser fire shot up all around them. Comrades would fall out of the sky even as Frazzle, Razzle, and Dazzle flew toward their destination. They were to break into the base and gather more red energon for Overlord, but in order to get to it they would have to get through the Wreckers.

/Autobot explosive, 4 'o clock low,/ Razzle reported to the others.

Frazzle transformed into robot mode, aimed her blaster gauntlet, and shot the bomb before it could reach the other seekers. The blast forced the jets further up into the sky, and Frazzle transformed back into jet mode so she wouldn't make such an easy target.

/Nice one, Sis,/ Dazzle congratulated her, /Uh oh, we got a bogey being piloted by a Wrecker. There also appears to be a Wrecker riding the top./

/Well now that's just irresponsible,/ Razzle commented dryly, /Shall we teach that rusted heap some vehicle safety?/

/Nah, let's just shoot him,/ Frazzle replied mischievously.

The three seekers then broke formation, with Frazzle approaching the Autobot ship from the center and her sisters approaching from the sides. The Autobot was small, yellow-orange colored, and appeared to have crusty bits of rock attached to him that glowed different colors. Those were crystal barnacles, which meant this guy was a some kind of boat-former. That was perfect. It meant he couldn't fly.

Frazzle shot at the Autobot, but most of the shots were too weak to penetrate the barnacles, which were acting as a sort of impromptu armor for the Wrecker. The Wrecker's arm then transformed into a cannon, and he aimed for the approaching pink and white jet.

"Say your prayers, Decepticon!" The Wrecker roared; his voice powerful yet garbled.

"Yikes, mech! Did you eat a bucket of nails or something?" Frazzle taunted as she flew circles around him and the ship he was standing on.

"No, but you're about to eat my dust!" The Wrecker replied before he started shooting at her with his large hand cannon.

Frazzle dodged every shot and flew further away from the Wrecker. She had to find a way to knock him off the ship, but she couldn't get close enough to him because he was firing so many shots. For a mech from a starving people he sure managed to find a lot of energy reserves for his cannon.

The Wrecker continued to fire in an arc while Frazzle performed all sorts of complicated maneuvers to avoid him. She saw that a purple and pink jet had been shot near where she was, and when she scanned it to her horror she realized it had been Dazzle! Frazzle dove down to try to catch the falling Dazzle, and she finally managed to get close enough to transform and grab her.

Another shot was fired above her, and she saw a red and black seeker falling to the ground. That was Razzle, but she wasn't close enough to get to her. Razzle fell onto a crag and her body shattered into a million pieces, and Frazzle had to land before she lost her ability to fly.

She still had Dazzle in her arms, so Frazzle set Dazzle down so she could see if her remaining trine sister could still be repaired before it was too late. Frazzle looked around for a medic, but everyone from the seekers to the grounders were busy fighting off the Autobots. There were dead and dying all around Frazzle, and she could see other loved ones clutching onto their injured and dead comrades. There was no way she was going to get any sort of attention this way.

Dazzle's optics flickered, and she groaned a little. Frazzle sighed in relief seeing that she was still alive. Dazzle turned her helm to look at her sister, and moved her mouth to try to speak.

"Just hang on, Dazzle. Don't strain yourself," Frazzle spoke softly as she held her sister close, "We're gonna find a medic and you'll get patched up soon. Just hang in there."

"W...Where am I?" Dazzle asked; oblivious to anything Frazzle had said, "This looks like a bad place. Why are we here, Frazzle?"

Frazzle then noticed Dazzle's injuries. She had noticed already that Dazzle had been shot in the cockpit, but only now did she see the second shot in Dazzle's helm. Her processor was shutting down and her spark was exposed. There was no way Dazzle could stay awake long enough for a medic. Frazzle didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing she could.

"We're outside," Frazzle told Dazzle vaguely, "Can't you see the clouds?"

"I see...seekers," Dazzle replied as she stared beyond Frazzle into a sky filled with green and grey smoke with soldiers flying all around, "I wanna go inside..."

"Sure thing, Sis. In a breem," Frazzle replied; smiling despite wanting to cry so Dazzle wouldn't feel bad.

Dazzle tried to speak again, but the words were mumbled and incoherent. Frazzle asked her to repeat herself, but Dazzle didn't reply. Then Frazzle saw the light go out of Dazzle's optics, and looked down to see the spark dissipate. Dazzle was gone, and Razzle was several mechano-yards away in pieces.

* * *

"...when we came here last time. Everything was so beautiful!" Blades continued to babble on; oblivious to Frazzle's haunting flashback, "I mean, it was a rescue mission, but other than that it was one of the coolest experiences. Do you think this planet is beautiful, Frazzle?"

Frazzle had no idea what Blades had been talking about, but she didn't want to seem disinterested since she needed this Autobot to like her, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Yeah, it's beautiful," Frazzle replied, "Especially the clouds."


	3. Revolution or Devolution?

_Author's Notes: Hi everyone, and welcome back to the story! Now I introduce the second Decepticon entering this fic: Overlord! Honestly, I only wanted to include this guy because I got a Leader Class Overlord toy, but I think this will really add an interesting element to an already emotional tale of intrigue and betrayal. Yeah, I guess this is getting pretty heavy for Rescue Bots. Oh well. The discrepancy in tone is kind of the point, so I guess this works. Thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter of "Stranger of Utopia" :)_

* * *

Chapter 3

Revolution or Devolution?

It was a hot busy afternoon at the bazaar in a small village in the Sahara Desert. People were milling around buying and selling. Women were gossiping about the day's events. Men were bartering over prices. Children were running around and playing as children often do. Everything was active and filled with the sounds of laughter and chatter. No one suspected the evil that was coming their way.

A tiny black dot could be seen up in the sky, but only a few people even seemed to notice it at first. As the dot grew larger and got closer however a few people started pointing up to it and murmuring about what it could be.

Once details on the black object became clear the people could see shades of purple and blue interspersed with the black. They could also see the strange looking spiny wings on the aircraft. It looked like nothing from this world, and it certainly didn't look like anything these townsfolk had seen before.

"Is that an American drone?" One man asked.

"No, I think it's Israeli," Another man guessed.

"It looks like a giant vulture," A kid commented.

"It's getting awfully close," A woman pointed out nervously.

Sure enough, the black, purple, and blue alien jet was actually descending right at the edge of the tent village. People from the bazaar and the surrounding area ran toward the ship to see what it was, curiosity overriding the fear of most. A crowd had gathered by the time the jet landed, and they arrived just in time to see this giant jet transform into a robot of incredible size and proportions!

"What the devil _is_ that thing?" A man cried out in fright.

Red eyes could barely be seen glinting in the sunlight as the robot regarded the now terrified crowd of people.

"So, this is where Megatron went, huh?" The large mech asked rhetorically, "What a dump! Not to mention you aliens. You are so tiny! I could probably fit five of you in my mouth!"

"It's going to eat us!" A little boy screamed.

"No, I just said you would fit!" The mech snapped at the child, "Don't put words in my mouth, you little brat!"

"Excuse me, sir," An older man approached the mech, "What exactly is it you want from us? We don't have a lot of resources around here, but the safety of the citizens is our top priority. Name your demands."

"Well...on the last planet I visited they threw a virgin off a cliff because they thought that would get rid of me," The mech pondered, "I don't know why they thought that would work. Eh, you got any energon crystals? I'm pretty hungry after the long trip from deep space."

"Deep space?" The formerly panicked boy asked, "You mean like an alien? Like on those TV shows?"

"You idiots don't know about life on other planets yet?" The mech scoffed, "Oh, this is going to be _too_ easy. In the meantime though, I need energon. So long, slaggers!"

The mech then transformed back into his jet mode and took off into the sky. The village breathed a collective sigh of relief, thinking they had avoided the wrath of a vengeful unknown creature; possibly some sort of metal demon. Their assumption was incorrect however, as the mech flew over their village and bombed the entire bazaar! Fortunately no one had been there at that moment, but everything was on fire and the loss of goods was a devastating blow to the village.

Overlord laughed as he flew away from the tiny human tent city he had just decimated. He loved causing destruction, and he always loved scaring an entirely new sentient species. He especially loved the superstitious ones, because they would panic in the most interesting and unpredictable ways. Of course, most screams ultimately sounded the same to him.

"I guess while I'm here I should scan for Decepticons loyal to me," Overlord thought out loud, "If I'm going to get revenge on Megatron it would help to have some cannon fodder on my side."

Overlord still held a grudge for the red energon incident. He had come so close to killing Megatron, but unfortunately Soundwave had already caught wind of the plan. Being Megatron's most loyal soldier, Soundwave of course stopped Overlord's scheme to take the throne for himself. Soundwave had drank some red energon as well, and the two powerful Decepticons had fought on equal footing. Well, _equal_ was a relative term. Overlord cheated and still lost.

Once Overlord had been put before a mock trial and found guilty he was sentenced to death. He would escape however and leave Cybertron for good, keeping in touch with his followers whenever he could. No matter the cost he was going to get back at Megatron, and maybe even find a planet to conquer. Overlord might not have been the most stable mech in the world, but he was smart and laser focused. He knew Megatron was here, and he knew if Megatron was here there had to be a reason why.

* * *

It was late at night on Griffin Rock, and Blades couldn't recharge. He was wide awake watching TV and drinking energon. Chase and Boulder had recommended the History Network to help him recharge (before going back to sleep themselves) so now Blades sat on the large bench made for the Cybertronians and watched a documentary on the French Revolution.

It got to the part of the documentary discussing Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette being held prisoner in their own palace, and Blades was nervous wondering what was going to happen to the royal humans that had made their subjects so angry. He was so engrossed in the events on the TV that it startled him when he heard pede steps coming into the room.

Blades jumped and gasped, only to see that it was Frazzle holding an energon cube very similar to his own. He smiled in relief, and she shot him an impish grin of her own.

"You're up late, super struts," Frazzle commented teasingly.

"So are you," Blades retorted playfully, "So, um, you couldn't recharge either?"

"Nah," Frazzle replied as she sat down on the floor next to him, "Nightmares. You?"

"I don't know," Blades shrugged, "Maybe it was all the excitement from the volcano today. It was nice to have a day off, but I'm not used to flying so high. I think I'm still jazzed from the whole experience."

"I see," Frazzle replied; less than impressed, "So, what are you watching?"

"I'm watching a documentary on human history," Blades replied, "Want to watch with me?"

"Eh, it'll kill a few breems," Frazzle replied agreeably.

Blades smiled at her and then went back to watching the TV. The show played for several minutes with Blades barely paying any attention at all. Frazzle being so close made him feel a giddy type of nervousness. He felt her wing accidentally brush against one of his rotors and had to cover his mouth to keep from giggling. He still felt a little awkward around her, and hoped she didn't realize he was attracted to her. He knew it was silly to have a crush on a femme he just met, but he loved how streamlined she looked and how easygoing and fun she was. He only hoped it wasn't obvious he felt that way.

To distract himself from Frazzle Blades went back to watching the TV, and the documentary was at the part where a fancy carriage was heading to the town square. Blades wondered what this meant since he hadn't been paying attention.

"Louis the XVI was proud and unapologetic as he stood before the crowd of jeering onlookers," The narrator said in an analytical tone over the dramatized footage on screen, "On January 21st, 1793, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine at what is now known as Revolution Square."

The documentary then showed the beheading, and Blades screamed in a less than manly manner.

"Yes!" Frazzle shouted as she pumped her fist in the air, "Take that, functionalist scum! Power to the people!"

"Frazzle, a man just died on screen," Blades reminded her.

"It was just a reenactment," Frazzle remarked unsympathetically, "Besides, that guy was a crooked Prime that kept his people starving while he and his family kept themselves closed off in a palace filled with food and luxury. He had it coming."

"But to kill him? That seems so extreme," Blades replied uncertainly, "Why didn't they try to talk to him?"

"Weren't you paying attention to the show? They did try!" Frazzle pointed out caustically, "They sent a bunch of starving femmes to him to broker a deal, and he just hauled aft out of there rather than deal with it!"

"Oh, I, uh," Blades stammered, not wanting to admit he was paying more attention to Frazzle than to the TV, "Well, I suppose that's true."

"I never realized before how much humans are like us," Frazzle noted, "They had wars and bad leaders too. They also had famine. I never really thought about that. I wonder how they managed to keep their world alive."

"I don't know," Blades shrugged, "You wanna watch something else? I think there's a channel where we can stream cartoons or something."

"You don't like talking about the war, do you?" Frazzle asked.

"Not really," Blades replied sheepishly "I can't really relate to it. Other mechs besides us talk about how bad it was and how everything changed, but I don't understand. I don't know how it happened or why, and I don't feel comfortable saying anything to you about it because I don't want to say the wrong thing. I hope you understand, Frazzle."

"Actually, I don't," Frazzle replied in realization, "I don't really know anything about your time either."

"Oh," Blades sighed.

"Was the caste system still around when you were activated?" Frazzle asked Blades.

"Of course it was," Blades responded as if she asked whether the ocean was wet, "I was built to be a Rescue Bot, just like everyone else where I grew up. Iacon had the largest team of Rescue Bots on Cybertron, and our city-state was the safest in the world. I admit I'm not the best at my job sometimes, but I've always been proud of my job and my duty."

"You know, people like you are exactly why the war happened," Frazzle commented critically.

"People like me?" Blades asked nervously, "You mean Rescue Bots?"

"No, I mean mechs and femmes that were forced into a certain function whether or not they were emotionally or physically qualified for it. What if you wanted to be an artist, or a medic, or a business-mech? You couldn't do it, could you?"

"Why would I want to?" Blades asked in confusion, "I like my job. I get to help people, and I have great teammates."

"But what if you didn't?" Frazzle pressed, "Not everyone got to be built into a good caste like you. Rescue Bots were a priority caste that got energon whether the lower castes did or not. What if you had been a seeker, or a construction mech, or a miner? My sire lived during those times, and many of his family members died during those times before I was ever built. Blades, the functionalist system worked when times were good, but when things got bad the mechs that labored for our society were left to die. When mechs are starving, they'll follow any voice that says they won't go hungry if they follow them. That's how this happened. Same as with the humans. We just got tired of the powerful mechs that said we don't matter."

"But the caste system doesn't exist anymore," Blades pointed out, "Optimus Prime got rid of it."

"Optimus Prime came into power after everyone else had been assassinated," Frazzle retorted, "He found some ancient relic that said he was the chosen one. Some fell for it, and others didn't. Honestly it's kind of weird now that I think about it, how a war over energon devolved into a holy war and then eventually a personal grudge match between two former friends that grew to hate each other. Neither one of them, Optimus or Megatron, are qualified to run a nursery school, let alone a planet. It's just sad, really. How we play our role and choose sides because being alone guarantees death quicker."

Frazzle then turned away from Blades and sighed heavily. She rubbed her face to relieve the stress, and then she felt Blades' hand on the spot of her back where her wings met.

"I'm sorry this has been so hard on you, Frazzle," Blades told her empathetically, "I don't know what you went through, but I want you to know I'm here for you. You can tell me what all happened, or you can keep it to yourself. Just know that I'm here if you need to talk to me."

"Wow, this got too real too fast," Frazzle replied breathlessly, "Next time, let's just watch cartoons."

Blades chuckled at that remark, which made Frazzle laugh as well. Together they found themselves laughing harder than they should have, and soon Blades realized he was hugging Frazzle. Frazzle suddenly realized this too, so she shoved herself away from Blades.

"O-Kay, that's enough of that," Frazzle exclaimed as she squirmed away from Blades, "I'm probably gonna go back to recharge now. Don't wake me unless it's important."

"Goodnight, Frazzle," Blades waved in a friendly way.

"Yeah, uh, see ya," Frazzle muttered as she quickly left the room.

Blades rubbed his arm trying to calm himself down. He couldn't figure out exactly what had happened, but he was sure he and Frazzle had just shared a moment. She was such an intense femme, yet at the same time she could be playful. The mystery was an appealing aspect about her to Blades, but he understood that she had a lot of baggage. Still, he wondered if she felt anything for him now too.

Frazzle, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor in a corner of the main room in the dark trying to process what had just happened. She actually _hugged_ an Autobot! She opened herself up to a fragging Autobot! Not to mention her rhetoric could have given away her position. She was getting careless and she had to hurry up and find a prize to claim before she got too sloppy in her mission.

This wasn't what Frazzle had signed up for. She was a soldier, not a spy! Not to mention she was trying to act friendly to make the Autobots trust her, but she had almost allowed the seduction to work both ways. She wanted Blades to like her, but she did _not_ want to like Blades. When he told her she could talk to him however, and when he hugged her, it made her feel...safe. She didn't want to feel safe, because then she would let her guard down and be in danger again.

No, if Frazzle was going to make a move against them, she would have to do it soon. Less than two days and she was already getting attached. There was no way this was normal!

"Spoiled isolated glitch," Frazzle whispered about Blades, "He doesn't know anything. He got upset because a human Prime that starved his subjects died. He gets upset when anybody dies. He would probably get upset if Megatron died!"

Frazzle tried to convince herself that Blades was just an idiot that wasn't worth her time, but the truth was his lack of blemish was one thing that made him so appealing. He had no battle scars. He had no ruined past. He had no hatred. Frazzle had never seen a mech like him before, so she didn't quite know what to make of him.

Suddenly, there was a squealing burst of static over Frazzle's comm, and she could tell it was someone over one of her private channels trying to get in contact with her. Considering only a select few from a certain splinter group had this frequency, Frazzle knew she needed to answer it.

/I read you. Who is this?/ Frazzle asked in a clipped formal tone she only used with her colleagues.

/Ah, little seekerlet.../ A silken malevolent voice purred over the comm, /Ready to play another round?/

/Overlord, sir!/ Frazzle exclaimed in shock, /I...I was unaware you had survived, sir. Welcome to earth./

/ _You didn't answer my question_ ,/ Overlord chided her in a sing-song voice.

/Oh, um, yes sir! I await your orders, General,/ Frazzle replied in a ruffled manner.

/I haven't _thought_ of any orders yet!/ Overlord snapped angrily; his mood shifting quickly, /Just stay where you are until I think of something for you to do. Oh, and don't tell anyone I'm here yet. I want to surprise Megatron./

/Yes, sir,/ Frazzle replied dutifully, /Anything you say, sir./

/Overlord out,/ Overlord said before cutting off the comm.

Frazzle disconnected her end of the signal and then sighed wearily as her wings scraped against the wall. Her master was still alive. Overlord had returned and somehow even crazier than before. She had expected at best to return to Megatron, but now she was working for Overlord again. She had managed to avoid being caught in her treason the first time, but this time if Overlord failed she would surely be executed. Visions of the French king at the guillotine filled her processor.

 _I wonder if Blades would be upset if_ I _died._.. Frazzle thought as more dark thoughts clouded her mind.


	4. A Sky Full of Stars

_Author's Notes: Hi, everybody! Welcome back to another chapter of "Stranger of Utopia". This chapter is going to focus on Frazzle so we can get some more backstory on the character. Don't worry though, we'll see more Blades in future chapters. I like how this fic is turning out so far, and I hope to keep up the momentum of the story. Anyway, thank you for reading and if you want to you can leave a review :)_

* * *

Chapter 4

A Sky Full of Stars

The next day was filled with missions for the Rescue Bots since there had been an accident at the museum. Animatronics were going haywire, and the Rescue Bots and their partners needed to be there to stop the wayward machines and save the people. Since Frazzle didn't have a human partner, she was left at the station with Cody, who was operating mission control.

 _Maybe now would be a good time to explore this rock and see what there is to steal_... Frazzle thought to herself.

Frazzle took a couple steps toward the lift that would take her to the surface, but then Cody turned around to see what she was doing. She waved at him, he waved happily back at her, and she went to sit down on the couch.

 _Well, so much for that._.. Frazzle thought bitterly. _I guess I could kill the kid, but organic fluids take forever to clean out of spike heel struts._

With nothing better to do, Frazzle was left to sit and wait. She needed to find a way to be a part of the action, that way sneaking off and stealing some tech wouldn't appear abnormal.

 _Maybe I should try leaving at night_... Frazzle pondered. _Yeah, I could just stay up and then sneak off while those fraggers are recharging. Hm, maybe if I go to recharge now I'll be fresh for the job tonight._

Deciding this was a good idea, Frazzle went back to her corner of the room and powered down for the day. She only hoped she could find something in one of the humans' labs that would please Overlord. When he wasn't happy, no one was happy. This was her last thought before she lost consciousness, which made her nightmares all the more noticeable...

* * *

At a Decepticon military outpost in Nuon, several grunts were working hard scrubbing the floors and walls before Overlord showed up to inspect the area. Frazzle, Razzle, and Dazzle were among those assigned to the cleanup crew, along with others they didn't know very well.

"Make sure every spot in your section is clean," Razzle cautioned her sisters, "Overlord has been in a fowl mood lately."

"I know. I can't believe he was dating Aftershock!" Dazzle howled in mirth, "How did they keep their relationship a secret for so long?"

"What I wanna know is how did she break up with him and not get shot?" Frazzle asked.

"Who says she didn't?" Razzle asked ominously, "Oh sure, Overlord kept his cool in public, but have any of us seen her lately?"

"She worked in the filing department. We wouldn't see her out here," Frazzle pointed out, "Besides, he probably had her transferred to a different unit so he wouldn't have to see her face plate."

The other two seekers nodded in agreement. Overlord likely didn't feel like dealing with a femme that had embarrassed him in front of his troops. He was the most powerful mech in the area with cannons as powerful as Megatron's and a nasty temper, yet he was also an overly sensitive mech with an inflated ego. It was a terrible combination from a social standpoint, but his power and tactical brilliance made the soldiers under his command fiercely loyal to him.

"Overlord returns!" A mech shouted at the assembled cleaning crew, "Everybody file in for inspection!"

The Decepticons scrambled to get in a straight line so Overlord could examine his troops as well as the areas they cleaned up. Dazzle was nervous because she wasn't finished scrubbing the floor she had been assigned, and her purple wings shivered noticeably.

/Stop doing that!/ Frazzle commanded her, /Do you want him to see you like this?/

/I-I can't help it,/ Dazzle's voice shook even over the comm.

Overlord's jet mode flew into the hangar and then gracefully transformed so that he was standing straight and towering over his smaller subjects. Everyone kept their gaze straight ahead of them so that no one could be accused of staring at Overlord. The last one to stare at him was shot in the leg. It hadn't been fatal, but the message had been sent. Don't stare at Overlord.

As he regarded his troops everyone worried that he might see some small imperfection and call them out on it. The tension in the air could be cut with a vibroblade. He stopped in the middle of the room, right near the seeker triplets, and they all feared he had spotted Dazzle's shoddy cleaning job. He turned to Frazzle, whistled for her to come to him, and motioned for her to follow him. She looked back at her sisters nervously, and they gave her sympathetic but ultimately unhelpful looks.

/If I die I'm not talking to you two anymore,/ Frazzle groused at her sisters before following Overlord out of the room.

Overlord led Frazzle to his private dining chamber and motioned for her to go inside before him. She was afraid this was some sort of trap. Perhaps since she was trine leader she would be punished for Dazzle's actions. Either way she couldn't disobey his orders, so she reluctantly went inside.

Frazzle had never been inside Overlord's dining room before, and she was surprised at just how small the room was. There was a simple pewter table, two chairs facing each other, a couple decorations on the back wall, an energon dispenser with cubes, and nothing else. Frankly she was surprised he could fit in the room given his height.

Overlord stood by the chair next to the wall and motioned for Frazzle to sit down in the chair next to the door. Somehow being near the exit gave her a small measure of comfort, so she tried to relax and hope this wasn't anything dire. Overlord then poured two cubes of high grade energon and gave her one. Wait, she was being invited to refuel with him? Well, this wasn't what she was expecting at all.

"Try it," Overlord ordered; motioning to her energon.

Frazzle gulped nervously and then took a small sip of the high grade. She gave him a nervous smile and said "It's good."

" _Good_? I should hope so. It was flown in from Helex," Overlord replied in mock offense, "Now, you're probably wondering why you're here."

"Yes, sir," Frazzle replied, but then worried that she wasn't supposed to speak yet.

"It's very simple, seekerlet," Overlord replied; using a pet name that Frazzle had never heard before, "I need a new secretary in the filing department. Aftershock didn't work out, unfortunately. Oh well, she won't be missed. Anyway, how many words per breem can you type?"

"Um, 136, sir," Frazzle replied awkwardly, surprised at how normal Overlord seemed at the moment. She was so used to his outbursts and insane battle tactics that to have a normal pleasant conversation with him seemed unheard of.

"I suppose that's good enough," Overlord replied; unimpressed, "You will of course need to learn the filing system, but I think you'll be good enough for the position. Also, you and your trine need to upgrade your blasters. They're a joke, and the Autobots will kill you if you aren't prepared."

"Yes, sir," Frazzle replied a bit more confidently this time.

"Good," Overlord nodded agreeably, "Now, enough of this boring office talk. Let's do something fun!"

"Um, what did you have in mind, sir?" Frazzle simpered, seeing the more manic Overlord shine through the normal facade.

"Hm...Last one to down their high grade is an Autobot!" Overlord shouted gleefully as he grabbed his cube.

Overlord then started chugging his high grade, and Frazzle realized he was already ahead of her. She then grabbed the cube and started chugging hers down too so she might have a chance at winning. The dark room seemed to get brighter as her body was filled with the burst of energy the high grade provided.

As she continued to drink from her cube she noticed the things decorating Overlord's wall. There was a painting of two gladiator mechs fighting to the death, an artistic holo-photo of a shopping mall for some unknown reason, and a silver mask. Well, it was a face plate, but with no optics it looked like a mask.

When Frazzle's cube was almost empty her tipsy processor finally caught up with what she was seeing. That wasn't just any old face plate. That was _Aftershock's_ face plate!

Overlord pounded his empty cube down on the table, and then Frazzle set her cube down as well. She wasn't used to drinking high grade, and she felt like slag. Her helm was pounding, and the room was too bright. She knew Aftershock was dead now, and that Overlord was keeping her face mask as a trophy. The worst part was Frazzle could do nothing about it. Overlord was her commanding officer, and in the Decepticons disobedience was punishable by death.

"I win," Overlord declared proudly, "Now, I get to pick what we do next."

"Can it involve a medic?" Frazzle asked dizzily.

"No," Overlord replied cheekily, "I want to go flying with you."

Overlord then pulled a remote out of his subspace and activated the roof. The roof separated and a night sky filled with twinkling stars could be seen over the claustrophobic room.

"Now, let's transform and show the world what real fliers look like!" Overlord exclaimed cheerfully, "Last one in the air is Bumblebee!"

"H-Hey, wait!" Frazzle shouted as she struggled to her pedes, "I'm *hic* coming too!"

Frazzle then transformed into jet mode and followed Overlord up in the air. She took a moment longer than normal to right herself in the air due to the cube of high grade, but once she was flying beside Overlord the wind on her wings made everything feel right.

It was a surreal experience to fly alone with her superior officer. Overlord never hung out with his subordinates socially, and he certainly never shared his high grade with them. Part of her briefly wondered if there was something dangerous in that drink, but then dismissed the notion. She felt fine, and she and Overlord were flying. This was a good thing, she was sure of it.

"Hey seekerlet, watch this!" Overlord hollered without using the comm despite them both being in vehicle mode.

Overlord then started flying in a corkscrew fashion around Frazzle, and she couldn't help but be impressed by Overlord's control and skill as a flier. He was as graceful as the sky dancers of seeker folklore, and she wondered why she had never seen this side of him before. He was almost...beautiful.

"We're gonna land on those mountains!" Overlord ordered as he began his descent.

Frazzle followed him without question and together they landed on the Crystal Mountains outside Nuon. It was an isolated spot filled with blue, purple, and red crystals against a rugged metallic surface. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind and their own thrusters powering down.

"That was so cool!" Frazzle exclaimed enthusiastically, "Your flying is amazing, sir! Why don't you ever do stuff like that in battl-?"

Before Frazzle could finish her sentence Overlord had grabbed her shoulders, turned her to face him, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Frazzle struggled to break out of Overlord's grip, but that only made his kiss more demanding and his grip more painful. Finally, after what felt like breems, he let go.

"Sir!" Frazzle shouted furiously, though she also felt flustered from the suddenness and the high grade consumption, "What the frag was that!? I'm not your girlfriend!"

"I know, and you never will be," Overlord replied in amusement, "You _are_ my soldier however, and I can do whatever I want with you. Since we're going to be working closer together from now on you better get used to that. Whatever I ask you do, wherever I send you you go, and whatever I say you take it. After all, peace can only be achieved through tyranny. I'm honoring you, seekerlet. I'm giving you the keys to peace. You should be grateful."

With those words Overlord turned away and flew off, leaving Frazzle standing on the mountain and gasping for breath. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Frazzle was so proud of her strength and her independence, yet somehow in one moment Overlord had managed to make her feel more powerless than she ever had. Worse yet, she would have to work for him as his secretary. Disobedience was punishable by death, after all.

* * *

Frazzle awoke from her bitter memories to see she was on earth in the Rescue Bot HQ. Thousands of years later, and Overlord still controlled her life. She felt so pathetic, but at least by now she was used to that feeling. Oh well, one thing Overlord had taught her over the vorns was how to use her feminine charms to get what she wanted out of her enemies. That brutal lesson was coming in quite handy regarding Blades and the rest of his merry morons.

Frazzle was ready for her mission, so she tip-toed past the other recharging Rescue Bots and went up the lift to get outside. She would find a lab and steal something to make this worthwhile. She had to, or else Overlord would be upset. Such a shame too, since she had actually hoped to rejoin Megatron instead.

When Frazzle made it out she thought she was in the clear, but then from the side yard she heard a voice say "Hey, Frazzle. I see you wanted some air too."

Frazzle turned around and aimed her blaster, only to see it was Boulder sitting in the grass and looking at her with those gentle blue optics that all Autobots were known for. Typical. She just couldn't catch a break.

"Have you had a chance to observe how the stars look from earth's night sky?" Boulder asked, his face the very picture of serenity.

"They're stars. They all look alike," Frazzle replied dismissively.

"To the untrained optic, maybe," Boulder replied knowingly, "When you see how the clusters and constellations look however, you'll know what I mean. See that tiny thing that looks like three stars in a straight line?"

"Yeah. So?" Frazzle asked huffily.

"That is the bottom of the Trigger Bucket constellation," Boulder informed her, "You can't see as much of it from here as you can from Cybertron. Do you know what they call that constellation on earth?"

"Aisle 4?" Frazzle deadpanned.

"Nope. Orion's Belt," Boulder told her.

"Seriously? Orion is a name on earth too?" Frazzle asked, interest piqued.

"It certainly is, though an old fashioned one," Boulder explained, "There is so much about earth that fascinates me. Some of their ancient architecture was made from stones, yet it is as intricate as molded clay. The city of Petra was carved out of a cliff. I don't think any city on Cybertron came from a cliff."

"Some were made with the bodies of city-formers," Frazzle pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," Boulder mused, "The difference between earth and Cybertron is that earth's Titans weren't real. The folklore of earth is fascinating too, and the animals. There are so many different species that I haven't even learned about all of them yet."

"Blades said something similar," Frazzle commented neutrally, "You know, for a Rescue Bot you sure do talk about a lot of thinky stuff."

"I suppose I do," Boulder replied goodnaturedly.

Frazzle felt torn as she sat next to the big green Autobot in the yard outside the station. On the one servo she needed to make up an excuse to leave so she could go out and steal inventions. On the other servo she knew Boulder could testify to seeing her. Besides that, there was something Frazzle wanted to ask him, and the curiosity was just eating her up inside.

"Boulder? Do you think the caste system was a good thing?" Frazzle asked in a more subdued voice than she normally used, "I mean, if you could be anything in the universe, do you really think you would've still been best equipped to be a Rescue Bot?"

"Honestly?" Boulder asked, and Frazzle nodded, "I didn't question it when I was younger. The caste system was always there, so much a part of our social fabric that it was as guaranteed as the planet's atmosphere. That being said, I did used to fantasise when I was a sparkling."

"Fantasise?" Frazzle asked.

"Yeah, I would imagine I was born a different mech in a different caste," Boulder recounted with some fondness, "I would imagine I was of the scientific caste. I would grow up to attend the best institutions and then become an archaeologist. I would discover the secrets of the ancients, and deliver all sorts of powerful and precious artifacts to the museums of Cybertron. I always wanted to study history, and explore the cultures of other worlds as well. I knew it couldn't be though. I was built to be a Rescue Bot, and there was no upgrade to change that."

"The new Prime claims he abolished your corrupt system," Frazzle noted, "Yet he still ordered all of you to stay here as Rescue Bots. You still aren't free to leave. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not really," Boulder replied casually, "We do good work here. We protect the people of Griffin Rock, and I still get to study earth and explore its various landscapes. I live a good life, and I'm grateful to have been given a second chance. Especially now, at night, when I get to look at a sky full of stars and see it in a way I never have before. I'm also grateful for my new friends, especially Graham. He and I may not have the same type of scientific interests, but we both understand how it feels to be so caught up in a project that the world just melts away."

"I see," Frazzle replied, unsure of what she was supposed to say.

"Would you like to know some more constellations?" Boulder asked placidly.

"Um...no thanks. I'm just gonna go back inside and...reevaluate my life," Frazzle replied in defeat as she got up and trudged back into the HQ.

This was harder than Frazzle had thought. During a normal battle scenario she would just shoot the Autobots and take what she wanted. This wasn't a normal scenario however. She was one 'Con surrounded by four Autobots. She was on a stealth mission and trying to impress her commander. Strangest of all though was that she was getting to talk to the Autobots in a way she never had before. She knew she would eventually betray them, but it wouldn't be easy to do now that she had seen a gentler side to them.


End file.
